German and American Foreign Ministers Discuss Iran Nuclear Agreement

Sigmar Gabriel, the German Foreign Minister, traveled to Washington on Monday, September 6, to meet with Rex Tillerson, the U.S. Secretary of State, with the Iran nuclear agreement being one of the topics on their agenda. According to an Associated Press report, Mr. Gabriel stated that in addition to the Iran nuclear agreement, the North Korean nuclear program, the Qatar crisis, and the situation in Afghanistan are also topics that will be discussed with Rex Tillerson. The two foreign ministers will also exchange views on recent U.S. sanctions against Russia. The meeting between the two officials is scheduled for Tuesday, but no further details have been released. Despite some differences of opinion between U.S. and German officials, Sigmar Gabriel emphasized that the United States is Europe's most important partner and that despite current disagreements on significant issues, dialogue must continue. The Associated Press noted that Germany is one of the critics of the new U.S. administration's climate change policies and its strong stance towards North Korea, while the U.S. is critical of Germany's large trade surplus and other issues. Regarding the Iran nuclear agreement, while Donald Trump and his administration, including Rex Tillerson, evaluate the JCPOA as a bad deal, Germany, which has seen an increase in trade with Iran since the agreement was implemented, recently stated through its ambassador in Tehran that it insists on the 'unconditional implementation of the JCPOA.' At the same time, Germany, which was part of the 5+1 group in the nuclear negotiations with Iran, has recently assessed Iran's missile tests as inconsistent with the spirit of the nuclear agreement in a joint action with the U.S., France, and the UK, calling for a halt to these tests. Since Donald Trump's rise to power, the U.S. has strongly condemned Iran's missile tests and destabilizing actions in the region, despite two confirmations of Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement. The next 90-day report from the U.S. government to Congress regarding the JCPOA will be presented in early autumn, but following reports of Donald Trump's dissatisfaction with his State Department's actions on this matter, the likelihood of renewed confirmation of Iran's compliance has become uncertain. A few weeks ago, Foreign Policy reported that Mr. Trump assigned a team of trusted White House staff to prepare a 'potential case' to prove Iran's non-compliance with the JCPOA. The Foreign Policy report, citing three unnamed sources, mentioned Steve Bannon and Sebastian Gorka as two former White House officials who were critics of the State Department's actions in confirming Iran's compliance. These two have recently resigned from their positions in the White House.